Travis Kalanick says China now accounts for about 30% of Uber rides

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Chief Executive Travis Kalanick said about 30 percent of the ride-hailing company's trips now take place in China, underlining how important the world's second-biggest economy is to Uber's global growth ambitions.

Speaking on Tuesday at a tech conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal in Laguna Beach, Calif., Kalanick said Uber's market share in China has climbed since the start of the year and now stands at about 30 percent to 35 percent.

Although the company faces stiff competition from Chinese rival Didi Kuaidi, Kalanick said he relishes the challenge. "We're still number two, so we still have a long way to go," he said.

"There are a lot of things we don't know about China, but what an interesting problem to solve," he said.